3 Sustainability and wellbeing
‘In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] defined sustainability as ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’
When developing an organisational approach to sustainability, it is important that wellbeing is at the forefront, and the focus is not just on the targets to mitigate the climate change emergency. The Paris Climate Agreement 2015 set a target to stop the world’s average temperate rising above 2.0°C (ideally 1.5°C), and agreement from parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to reduce carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
All UK organisations are required by law to reduce their carbon emissions. The approach to this varies throughout the UK. You can explore these for your nation via the links below:
- Wales – Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015(Public bodies only) and Environment (Wales) Act 2016
- England – Climate Change Act 2008 and Sustainability and climate change: a strategy for the education and children’s services systems
- Scotland – Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019
- Northern Ireland – Northern Ireland Climate Change Adaptation Programme